St. Paul, Amsterdam and Paris - Leading secure eDocuments companies 3M, Gemalto, Morpho (Safran) and Oberthur Technologies announced the formation of the Secure Identity Alliance, a grouping dedicated to developing the usage of government-issued eDocuments (identity, health cards, driving licenses and ePassports in particular) for increased security, and to encourage deployment of secure convenient online services strengthening the privacy of the end-users.

The Secure Identity Alliance’s major objectives are to accelerate the transition to smart eDocuments and enable an open, interoperable and efficient roll-out of trusted eGovernment online services by:

• Making recommendations on the most up-to-date means to properly address the governments identity and privacy challenges, including eDocument hardware, software and secure printing technologies, materials and physical security expertise, in order to deliver the level of confidence and assurance needed for the rapid adoption of eServices that can be trusted by citizens,

Secure Identity Alliance positions itself as a trusted partner for governmental agencies and public entities defining their eDocument approach and implementing associated eGovernment services. Aiming at establishing interoperable systems, and defining and promoting best practices that can be adopted across the world, the Alliance members will be involved in focused workgroups.

Benefits for Governments

"The Secure Identity Alliance will help us better serve Government entities," says Gareth Thomas, International Business Development Manager, 3M Identity Management. "Together, we will highlight the advantages and encourage the adoption of microprocessor-based eDocuments, and develop added-value online applications that meet citizens’ needs today and tomorrow."

Convenience, Privacy and Security

Frederic Trojani, Senior Vice President of Government Programs at Gemalto, underlines what is at stake: "Electronic identification has become a real catalyst for the rapid adoption of online service. Convenience, privacy protection and security are the three pillars of trust in modern, efficient electronic government services. When properly deployed, these powerful drivers lead to rapid citizen adoption, transforming the agencies’ services along the citizens’ expectations and providing for measurable effectiveness gains. The Secure Identity Alliance shall be the reference partner for governments looking to offer cutting-edge technology in e-documents and e-services to their citizens".

Openness

Jacques Van Zijp, Senior Vice President Business Identity Documents at Morpho (Safran), emphasizes that broad industry coverage through the Alliance’s membership base is crucial for success. "Of course, the association is open to additional members from the eDocument industry willing to contribute to the success and roll out of secure eDocuments and associated online services."

Competition

Olivier Prestel, Managing Director of the Identity Business Unit at Oberthur Technologies, commenting on the competitive situation among the members, says: "The different companies will support overall industry growth while continuing to compete, to ensure the highest quality and diversity of solutions with differentiated products and services for the benefit of Governments and their citizens."

For more information, visit the Secure Identity Alliance Website: :www.secureidentityalliance.org, or contact the Alliance by e-mail: info@secureidentityalliance.org .

About 3M Identity Management

3M Identity Management is a trusted partner and industry leader in delivering end-to-end, innovative security solutions to businesses and governments worldwide—helping to ensure the security of people and documents. With an unmatched mix of leading technologies in biometrics and credentialing as well as expert systems integration and support, 3M helps solve an array of security challenges, including efficient passenger check-in, secure ID and passport document issuance, and hardware and software system solutions for border management. 3M Identity Management technologies are used in over 100 countries around the world.

About 3M

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs 88,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2012 annual revenues of €2.2 billion and more than 10,000 employees operating out of 83 offices and 13 Research & Development centers, located in 43 countries.

We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain and work – anytime, everywhere – in ways that are enjoyable and safe. Gemalto delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile services, payment security, authenticated cloud access, identity and privacy protection, eHealthcare and eGovernment efficiency, convenient ticketing and dependable machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. We develop secure embedded software and secure products which we design and personalize. Our platforms and services manage these products, the confidential data they contain and the trusted end-user services made possible.

Our innovations enable our clients to offer trusted and convenient digital services to billions of individuals. Gemalto thrives with the growing number of people using its solutions to interact with the digital and wireless world. For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.

About Morpho (Safran)

Morpho, a high-technology company of Safran, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of identification, detection and e-document solutions. Morpho is specialized in personal rights and flow management applications, in particular based on biometrics, a sector in which it is the world leader, as well as secure terminals and smart cards. Morpho’s integrated systems and equipment are deployed worldwide and contribute to the safety and security of transportation, data, people and countries.